Insights on the First 29 Long-term Climate Strategies Submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

The paper surveys 29 long-term climate strategies (LTSs) submitted to the UNFCCC, representing 42 countries and 28% of global emissions. It finds a growing trend toward net-zero targets, an increasing focus on the fundamental economic and societal shifts required for transition, and a reliance on both natural and technological carbon removals. The analysis highlights that while most strategies include midcentury goals and modeling, the level of detail regarding adaptation and just transition varies, and some parties acknowledge gaps between their most ambitious scenarios and their final targets.

• By the end of June 2021, 29 parties had submitted LTSs to the UNFCCC, covering 42 countries and accounting for 28.2% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• There is a significant trend toward net-zero targets, with 17 of the 29 strategies including such goals; 12 of these were submitted in 2020 and 2021.
• Energy sector transitions across the strategies commonly emphasize increased renewable energy, energy efficiency, and carbon pricing, with solar, wind, green hydrogen, and biomass being the most cited technologies.
• Many parties rely on carbon removals to achieve midcentury targets, utilizing both natural sinks in the land sector and engineered technologies like Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS).
• While all LTSs acknowledge the risks of climate inaction, the depth of adaptation planning varies; some provide only high-level narratives, while others, such as Benin, Mexico, and Singapore, give adaptation equal weight to mitigation.
• Most strategies address the concept of a 'just transition,' though the level of detail ranges from notional mentions to specific plans for worker retraining, school curricula changes, and financing.
• LTSs are increasingly serving as a basis for updating Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), with several NDCs explicitly referencing their party's LTS and 2050 targets.
• Some parties, specifically Austria, the Marshall Islands, and Slovakia, explicitly admit to gaps between their most ambitious modeled scenarios and their stated midcentury targets.
• Legal backing for LTSs varies; some are mandated by law, some have their quantitative targets enshrined in legislation (e.g., Denmark, France, UK, Mexico), and others have legislation under development.

APA

Ross, K., Schumer, C., Fransen, T., Wang, S., & Elliott, C. (2021). Insights on the First 29 Long-term Climate Strategies Submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. World Resources Institute. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2021-09/insights-first-29-long-term-climate-strategies-submitted-united-nations-framework-convention-climate-change.pdf?VersionId=XrysiiZ_Zu57EgC.iPS8ng2NRkY5CHAm

Chicago

Ross, Katie, Clea Schumer, Taryn Fransen, Shiying Wang, and Cynthia Elliott. Insights on the First 29 Long-term Climate Strategies Submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. World Resources Institute, 2021. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2021-09/insights-first-29-long-term-climate-strategies-submitted-united-nations-framework-convention-climate-change.pdf?VersionId=XrysiiZ_Zu57EgC.iPS8ng2NRkY5CHAm.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ross |first1=Katie |last2=Schumer |first2=Clea |last3=Fransen |first3=Taryn |last4=Wang |first4=Shiying |last5=Elliott |first5=Cynthia |title=Insights on the First 29 Long-term Climate Strategies Submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=September 2021 |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2021-09/insights-first-29-long-term-climate-strategies-submitted-united-nations-framework-convention-climate-change.pdf?VersionId=XrysiiZ_Zu57EgC.iPS8ng2NRkY5CHAm |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ross2021insights, author = {Ross, Katie and Schumer, Clea and Fransen, Taryn and Wang, Shiying and Elliott, Cynthia}, title = {{Insights on the First 29 Long-term Climate Strategies Submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2021}, month = sep, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2021-09/insights-first-29-long-term-climate-strategies-submitted-united-nations-framework-convention-climate-change.pdf?VersionId=XrysiiZ_Zu57EgC.iPS8ng2NRkY5CHAm}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }